Monday
Feb042013
by 
Bishop Hill
Bishop Hill Huhne pleads guilty
Feb 4, 2013 Huhne Chris Huhne admits perverting the course of justice
Former cabinet minister Chris Huhne has pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice over claims his ex-wife Vicky Pryce took speeding points for him a decade ago.
Reader Comments (82)
I don't normally do schadenfreude but for Huhne I am prepared to make an exception.
The maximum penalty for perverting the course of justice is life imprisonment. That sounds good, but no doubt he'll get away with 6 months, reduced to 2 months for good behaviour.
I await sentencing with interest although, like Phillip, I suspect that it will be token. Had he been a member of the 'lower orders', of course, he would be made an example of, but somehow that never seems to apply to those who deserve it most...
Still, his volte-face (presumably forced upon him by his counsel) is deeply satisfying. As with the death of Little Nell, you would need a heart of stone not to laugh.
Ha! ha! ha! HaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!
I almost wet myself.
Is there a legal minimum temperature that Her Majesty's institutions are kept at?
I wouldn't want him to suffer hypothermia during the winter of his discontent.
The question is, what name to adopt - YeoMustGo , DebenMustGo, or perhaps GummerMustGo. Suggestions, please, on the back of a post card.
Paddy Meiklejohn
I'm guessing a royal pardon from Big Ears, another eco-hypocrite, could be on the cards in recognition of his "good" works. Stranger things have happened.
Huhne was on the UN High Level Climate Finance panel, looking at ways of imposing "carbon" taxes globally, along with George Soros and Nick Stern amongst others. He was also, as we know ,heavily promoting such taxes at home.
http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/images/stories/papers/originals/climate_finance.pdf
"In 2006 he responded to WWF and Greenpeace praise for the Liberal-Democrat policies on climate, saying: “It is great to gain endorsements from the WWF and Greenpeace. The Liberal Democrats are honest enough to accept that individual behaviour must change in order to halt climate change. We are the only party campaigning for an increase in environmental tax, while allowing other taxes to fall, to bring about this change.”
"In February 2008, Huhne, as an opposition spokesman, went to Brazil, to attend the GLOBE G8+5 legislator’s forum. GLOBE's aim is that "all major government policy decisions should be consistent with climate change goals.”
In September 2008, Huhne went to Beijing to attend the second “UK-China Leadership of the Future Forum.” The visit was arranged and paid for by the UK-China Forum with sponsorship from Barclays Capital, BP and Rolls-Royce, and the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party.
@Capell
Politicians ought to be banned from using the passive voice of the verb: they misuse it to distance themselves from responsibility for their own actions - so "something happened" 10 years ago, did it, according to Huhne? If he had said "... because of something I DID 10 years ago", he might have sounded slightly more genuine.
I don't think we'll see huhne to the slammer until he sobers up :*)
or even >;*))
According to the DT he has now also resigned as an MP.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/liberaldemocrats/9847152/Chris-Huhne-quits-as-he-faces-jail-after-pleading-guilty-to-perverting-course-of-justice.html
Very unkind to kick someone on the floor, but this time I will make an exception ;)
Huhne you lying toad, you got your just desserts.
We know politicians are out of touch with the real world, but it is amazing that Clegg is "shocked and saddened". Where has Clegg been for the last year? Or is this just another lie?
The resignation must be in part to remove the fact that a sentence greater than 12 months removes him from the House of Commons. Either that or Pryce knows where other bodies are buried.
Best he takes the Chiltern Hundreds before sentencing though. I dont trust the man.
"Mr Justice Sweeney told Huhne he should “have no illusions whatsoever” about the type of sentence he is likely to receive. The maximum penalty for the offence is life imprisonment. "
The maximum penalty is not long enough.
So now we know that decisions taken at DECC were made by a criminal, a liar and a cheat, when Huhne was Secretary of State.
The Prime Minister must, as a matter of urgency, review all public policy decisions taken by Huhne when he was in charge.
Is this much different to the Archer affair, and the other tory minister who went to jail over a hotel bill paid by Middle Eastern interests. Perverting the course of justice is seen by judges to very serious. It is difficult to see how a custodial sentence would not ensue, although the admission may go to reduce the term.
Obviously, it is not attractive to gloat over the misfortunes of others, even when they have brought the misfortune upon themselves, but at the same time Politicians. Law Makers, Law Enforcers, Judges and the like must be above reproach. A very high standard (over and above that which may be expected from the ordinary citizen) is required from this class of citizen, but unfortunately, especially in the case of politicians rarely met,
Regrettably, there is no real accountability for dereliction of duty, and/or gross negligence in public office. This is a pity since politicians such as Huhme and Milliband (to name but a few, there are many others - don't forget that only about a handful of MPs could be bothered to go to the chamber and debate the Climate Change Act even though this was to be the second most expensive piece of peace time legislation ) really ought to be made to paid for the damage they have inflicted on the country, and the individual missery they have inflicted on ordinary people who cannot afford to properly heat their homes or use their cars. Even misconduct rarely gets more than a slap on the wrist.
We will always be subject to incompetence and poor decsion making when there is no consequence for those who make the decisions getting the decision made by them completeley and utterly wrong.
Richard Verney
Agreed, it isn't attractive to gloat over the misfortunes of others. But couldn't we make an exception, just this once for a very special case?
I have just sent a email to y MP, Nick Clegg, as follows:
"Nick
From the BBC
"Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg said he was "shocked and saddened" after Chris Huhne pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and quit as an MP."
I was not shocked and that is really saddening. Like many of the citizens of this country, I have come to expect our elected representatives to be self-serving hypocritical purveyors of disinformation, turning to the lie without hesitation when they think it will benefit them.
In your interview on the BBC you go on to say that Huhne has taken the right decision in resignng as an MP, doing your best to leave the viewer with the impression that Huhne is capable of 'doing the right thing'. Would you not agree that the right thing would have been for Huhne to tell the truth from day one? Would it not be better in situations like this for you to tell it like it is rather than trying to save face? What I had in mind was something along the lines of 'Chris Huhne is a disgrace to the Liberal Democratic party. A disgrace to the House of Commons. He brings the reputation of government into disrepute and, I would add, on a personal note he has betrayed the trust I placed in him.'
You would actually win some respect for such a stance."
It's all part of the modern politician's career path:
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/03/politics/clinton-speaking-fees/index.html
Miss!
Another huge bowl of this delicious schadenfreude, please.
I haven't tasted anything quite so sweet and alluring for a long time.
And don't forget the jumbo-sized popcorn for the sentencing.
So true - wouldn't have been refreshing if Clegg had instead said that "if he hadn't resigned, we would have had to dismiss him from the party".
While his stint in windmill
politics is over, this is a very minor offense and
Has been sentenced before with 2weeks prison
For people who were re-offending 5times
On this points idiocy. Needless to say that it is
Ridiclous to throw people in prison on taxpayers
Expense at 45k a year when they gladly would
Pay 100k fine instead.
Two interesting bits of belated justice. Richard III found (a man vilified like any climate sceptic, but was possibly one of England's genuinely good kings), Huhne finally is brought to justice.
Re a by-election. I would love to see UKIP do well. Their energy policy is essentially sound: climate sceptic, wind mill hating, poverty reducing. If, by a miracle, UKIP won then Delingpole's sense of wanting justice over the right issue might be helped. B&B in Eastleigh anyone for the campaign?
Interesting comparison with the case of Sir Gerald Nabarro. His jag was seen to go the wrong way round a roundabout. He pleaded not guilty, said his secretary had been driving at the time, and he got away with it - though 90% of the population was sure he was the pissed driver behind the wheel.
As an aside, I do not understand the need to be nice to Huhne. He has lied, in calculated fashion, from start to finish. He is known as being thick-skinned and callous. And the beauty of this is that if he'd simply said, "it's a fair cop", he wouldn't be going to prison. The only reason he plead guilty was because there was a chance it would reduce his sentence. That's it, nothing more, and if anyone thinks he did it because it was the right thing, they need their head examined. He is, by any test of logic, and by evidence, a liar. He cannot be trusted, now or ever again.
I wouldn't be at all surprised to find more stories about him tumbling out of the woodwork in the coming days. Yuck.
So, no sympathy for the creep at all, frankly. He did this to himself, and he deserves it.
As an onlooker who is cheering from the sidelines in NZ, one of the UK's former colonies, the thought occurs that a suitable sentence for the egregious Huhne would once have been transportation to Australia's Botany Bay; except that the Antipodes is oversupplied (on both sides of the Tasman Sea) with politicians who are themselves utterly slippery, untrustworthy and scientifically moronic, which is why we have an ETS.
Seems his own son is even more offended by him than the general public.
"The role of his youngest son, Peter, was revealed when a series of text messages were read out during legal argument over the case.
The messages also lay bare a bitter breakdown in the relationship between father and son, after the MP admitted having an affair in June 2010.
A year later, allegations were published in a newspaper that Huhne has persuaded Miss Pryce to take speeding points, which would have landed him with a driving ban.
In text messages, Huhne appeared to acknowledge the seriousness of the allegations that Ms Pryce took speeding points on his behalf.
In June 2010, Peter Huhne texted his father: "We all know that you were driving and you put pressure on Mum. Accept it or face the consequences. You've told me that was the case. Or will this be another lie?"
"Actually Peter, I've got no intention of sending mum to Holloway for three months," Huhne replied.
His son texted back: "Are you going to accept you're responsible, or do I have to contact the police myself and tell them what you told me?"
In previous text messages, Peter Huhne tried to cut off all contact with his father. A month after learning of his father's affair with a Liberal Democrat activist Carina Trimingham, the former MP's son texted calling him his views "disgusting" and "the most most ghastly man I have ever known".
Later that year, Huhne texted: "Happy Christmas. Love you, Dad."
His son replied: "Well I hate you, so **** off."
Days later, after ignoring several text messages from his father, Peter Huhne texted: "Leave me alone, you have no place in my life and no right to be proud. It's irritating that you don't seem to take the point. You are such an autistic piece of ****. Don't contact me again you make me feel sick.""
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/liberaldemocrats/9847947/Chris-Huhnes-son-threatened-to-go-to-police-over-speeding-allegations.html
The "I am innocent" list
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9847192/How-Chris-Huhne-pleaded-innocent-until-he-was-guilty.html
The Judge's reference to the "type" of sentence reads to me as saying that it will be custodial, but says nothing as to the length.
Further to my comment on Huhne's £17,000 payoff when he resigned from the Cabinet.
"Downing Street said it was “a matter for him” whether Huhne returned a £17,000 severance payment he received when he stood down as energy secretary last year."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/liberaldemocrats/9848846/Chris-Huhnes-career-in-tatters-as-lies-finally-catch-up-with-former-minister.html
Anyone laying any bets?
Huhne in gaol! It's enough to make anyone atheistically challenged!
There's joy in governmentville tonight. A potential scapegoat for the climate and energy policy trainwrecks has been identified wandering through the mess.
=====================
@kim
I wonder if we'll hear this:
'I see now that it's all been a terrible mistake. I was coerced into doing what Chris Huhne told me. He always had such power over me that I was putty in his hands and had to follow his instructions. But now he is in chokey I am free to follow my own path. No more f....g windmills'.
Ed Davey